China and the United States extended their marine partnership for another five years.

The China-US Marine and Fishery Science and Technology Cooperation Protocol, which sets up guidelines for cooperation, was renewed Wednesday.

Parts of the protocol - which was first signed on May 8, 1979 - were amended to broaden the resources of the participants and included provisions regarding intellectual property rights, said a statement from the State Oceanic Administration.

This is the fifth renewal of the protocol, demonstrating the successful Sino-US marine collaboration for 25 years.

The amendments also touch on issues of handling confidentiality of information and equipment used for security, national defence or diplomatic interests.

For the past 25 years, both sides have conducted fruitful cooperation in broad fields, including the role of the ocean in climate change, marine information and data exchange and conservation of marine living resources.

The two sides have also worked together on integrated coastal zone management, marine environmental services and polar research.

The renewal of the protocol lays the foundation for fruitful bilateral co-operation in the future, according to the officials.

The joint efforts will help contribute to the effective protection of the marine environment, rational development and utilization of marine resources, realization of sustainable development of the ocean as well as the economic development of human society, the release said.

Conrad Lautenbacher, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States, highlighted the importance of cooperation with China in marine areas, saying the future alliance will be broader and promising.

The United States is working with China and other countries to formulate plans for the construction and maintenance of a global Earth observation system to meet environmental challenges, said Lautenbacher, who is also the undersecretary of US Department of Commerce, during a press conference in Beijing yesterday.

(China Daily July 22, 2004)